Fall Greetings and CoC Kenya
Friends,
Once more we bring you greetings from Madison, Wisconsin – where Big 10 Football is in full swing, the leaves are turning and everywhere there are signs that Fall is in the air. As we have done several times a year, we want to briefly update you on how Care of Creation is progressing in promoting a God-centered response to the environmental crisis here in North America and in the country of Kenya.
In addition, there have been some important developments in the ongoing conversation among evangelicals about creation care that we would like to share with you. This includes several important new books that you might find helpful as you seek to understand where things stand with regard to environmental stewardship in general – and Christian environmental stewardship, or creation-care, in particular.
Care of Creation – Kenya advances on schedule
Craig and Tracy Sorley now have a staff of two professional level Kenyans (Francis and Patrick) working with them to coordinate both the work of their demonstration nursery and extensive outreach and followup work with churches, Pastors and schools throughout Kenya and several neighboring countries. We are also pleased to be hosting our first college intern, Sarah Zomes, from Kings University College (Edmonton, Alberta). She will be gathering data that will help us determine how effective our conferences have been in promoting true changes in environmental attitudes – and behaviors.
Closely related, Jan Korbel, who has been serving on our Board of Directors, is now raising financial support to join the Care of Creation-Kenya team. Jan will enable the team to expand in a number of directions, including outreach to schools in the Nairobi area and administration of a US-based teams program. We hosted one team from Bethlehem Baptist this summer, and we anticipate accomplishing much through this ministry strategy as our work grows.
Pray with us for these specific requests with regard to Care of Creation-Kenya:
- Financial support for Jan, and future funding for local project expenses.
- Safety for all of our team members – Patrick recently suffered a personal attack while traveling between the office and his home.
- Wisdom in planning ministry activities. There is too much to do and not enough time or staff to do it all – no surprise there(!), but we particularly feel the need for wisdom as we are laying a foundation for much future ministry.
Back in the Madison Office
Ed Brown has just finished representing Care of Creation at two conferences in Minneapolis and Madison, along with three presentations to church groups on bringing Missions and Creation Care together. We have a new display unit and a number of new printed publicity pieces to communicate the mission and message of Care of Creation.
Among the initiatives we are developing are God and Creation conferences, where Ed will bring a two- to four-session conference on the general topic of God’s perspective and our responsiblities toward Creation. Please contact us if you are interested in hosting such a conference at your church or student group. A variety of formats are possible (Friday-Saturday, Saturday night/Sunday morning, etc.) and dates are open beginning mid-February, 2007.
Funding for Ed Brown and the US office is still a challenge. Several generous but one-time gifts have allowed the work to continue full-time for the time being, but more regular, monthly partners are needed. Thank you for considering partnering in this vital way.
Things to keep on your prayer list with regard to the US office are:
- Financial support for Ed and Susanna Brown as noted above (you can donate here);
- The ability for Ed to finish a major writing project – more on this in our next letter, we hope.
- Our need to connect with major donors or larger funding organizations that will allow us to both fully fund our Kenya work and develop expansion plans into the rest of East Africa.
Books, Books and Bill Moyers…
This has been a profitable year for new books on creation-care. We are pleased to be able to recommend three books published in the last six months, each of which is very useful in its own unique way.
As it happens, the world of Christian Environmental Stewardship isn’t all that large, and we happen to know all of the authors below…
- Serve God, Save the Planet by Matthew Sleeth. Matthew is a great story teller, and he has quite a story to tell, of how his growing concern for environmental issues led him and his family to give up most of the “good life” for a different kind of life… Very well written – and very practical. You can’t read this and keep on the way you’ve been living up to now. Guaranteed. (You’ve been warned!).
- Living the Good Life on God’s Good Earth edited by David Koetje of Calvin College. Practical like Serve God, Save the Planet, this is more of a study book – with short chapters on a variety of topics – the clothes we wear, the food we eat, the cars we drive and so on. This would be an excellent resource for a Creation-care study group on campus or at your church.
- Saving God’s Green Earth by Pastor Tri Robinson. Pastor of Vineyard Boise Church in Idaho, Pastor Robinson shares his experience of how God opened his eyes and heart – and those of his congregation – to the importance of creation-care. A bonus: This book includes a profile of Ed Brown and Care of Creation.
And speaking of Tri Robinson, Bill Moyers is airing a special on conservative Christians and creation-care (“Is God Green?” that will include an extensive interview with Pastor Robinson – this on October 11 (check your local listings, of course).
And of course, if you are a student, we hope we’ll see you at Urbana! Care of Creation will have a booth – and Ed will be leading one of two seminars on creation-care. John Stott will be doing the other seminar – so the topic is getting the attention it deserves. Hope to see you there!
Thank you again for your partnership with us!
Ed Brown for the Care of Creation Team
Care of Creation
608-469-7821
careofcreation@gmail.com
www.careofcreation.org
